Essential hypertension has been recognized as a major health problem in the United States, with particular impact on blacks, the poor and on women. The present study addresses the role that stressful life change events, subjective appraisal and somatic response patterns play in essential hypertension. The study specifically addresses the following objectives: (1) to determine whether stressful life change events are positively related to and account for a significant proportion of variation in blood pressure; (2) whether subjective appraisal of stress affects blood pressure singly or in interaction with the objective measure of stressful events; (3) to determine whether variations in blood pressure are positively correlated with distinct patterns of somatic response patterns especially a cardio-respiratory response tendency, and finally; (4) whether personal and familial history of cardiovascular difficulties and other socio-demographic factors such as sex, age and race contribute to explaining variation in blood pressure. The study is designed as a survey study with a random sample of 300 adults, ages 21-65. These subjects will be paid volunteers who will undergo a 1 hour private interview in their homes during which time four blood pressure readings will be taken and a composite questionnaire with scales measuring the predictor variables will be administered. The degree of relationship between the predictor variables (i.e., correlations) and the extent to which they contribute singly or in consort to the proportion of explained variation in blood pressure (i.e., multiple regression analysis) will be ascertained.